Motte and Bailey Castles - History Learning Site Home » Medieval England » Motte and Bailey Castles Motte and Bailey Castles Citation: C N Trueman "Motte and Bailey Castles" historylearningsite.co.uk. The History Learning Site, 5 Mar 2015. 20 Oct 2016. Motte and bailey castles appeared in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066 . Motte and bailey castles were a common feature in England by the death of William the Conqueror in 1087. Their construction was the start of what was to become a massive castle building programme in England and Wales. When William landed at Pevensey in 1066, he immediately set about building a castle to protect himself and his most important men. William was a highly skilled and feared soldier who had learned his military skills in northern France. The Normans achieved great fame for their castle building. Why was this so? French kings had gained a reputation for building castles. This was their way of coping with the constant attacks by Vikings from Scandinavia. The kings of France had little idea on how to defeat the Vikings.

French noblemen took to protecting themselves in fortified buildings that were known as castellans – these served as private fortifications in which people and animals were protected from these feared invaders Some of the Vikings eventually stayed in northern France and the Norsemen became the Normans. They had been impressed with the French castellans and adopted them; the most popular design was the motte and bailey. In these castles, there was a fortified building (the castle) on top of a man-made hill called a motte. This served as a final fighting place where soldiers would retreat if the rest of the castle had been breached. The castle on the motte was reached either by wooden stairs that could be destroyed if the castle itself was attacked or by a ‘flying bridge’ that connected the bailey to the castle. In the bailey, people and animals lived in relative safety in times of peace as they were surrounded by a large wooden fence that kept out attackers and wild animals. The first record of a motte and bailey castle in France appeared at the start of the 11th Century. The first recorded motte in England was in 1051 when French castle builders were building one for the English king in Hereford.

However, the French were unpopular with the local population and the French builders left without anything substantial being built. After his victory at Hastings in 1066 , William moved around the south coast to Dover. Here he built his third English castle after Pevensey and Hastings. The motte and bailey castle at Dover took just eight days to build – according to William of Poitiers who was William’s chaplain. Was such a feat possible? Building castles then was very labour intensive. William and his men were invaders and his army would have had to be on a constant guard especially in the immediate days after Hastings. Research on one of William’s motte and bailey castles at Hampstead Marshall shows that the motte contains 22,000 tons of soil. This motte took fifty men eighty days to build. Using this as a guide, the motte at Dover would have needed 500 men to complete in eight days. It is possible that local towns people were coerced into working extremely hard to complete the task. However, building a motte was a skilled achievement. The mottes were built layer upon layer.

There would be a layer of soil that was capped with a layer of stones that was capped with a layer of soil and so on. The stone layers were needed to strengthen the motte and to assist drainage. William accepted the surrender of the Anglo-Saxon nobles at Berkhamsted Castle, north-west of London – arguably his finest motte and bailey castle. This meant that he did not have to fight for London – and the people of London were spared their city being torched. William started his reign as king of England with uncharacteristic diplomacy. He allowed the Saxon nobles to keep their land and he tried to learn English. However, for two years up to 1068, he was faced with rebellions throughout his new kingdom. William responded by marching his feared army to a trouble spot and re-asserting his authority. He then had a castle built there – a very visible sign of the Norman’s power. Castles were built in Exeter, Warwick, Nottingham, Lincoln, Huntingdon, Cambridge and York. However, this series of castle building did not cause the problem to disappear. Those who rebelled against William’s power, gathered in the north of England.

In 1069, they targeted the most obvious sign of William’s authority – the castle of York. This castle was not heavily defended and the Normans soldiers there were beaten and the castle was burnt to the ground. William was furious and decided to lay waste the north of England – the so-called “Harrying of the North”. Norman soldiers destroyed anything that might have been of use to those who lived in the north. It is thought that as many as 100,000 people died of starvation. York Castle was also rebuilt. It was now that William took away land from the Saxon nobles and gave it to his own nobility. Each Norman nobleman who received land was expected to build a castle there. It was now, after the “Harrying of the North”, that castles were built across a great deal of England. Each Norman knight was an invader and building a motte and bailey castle for himself and his soldiers was basic commonsense as they were highly unpopular with the Saxons. One of William’s closest acquaintances was Roger of Montgomery who became earl of Shropshire. This land bordered Wales and the area was seen as a refuge for thieves and villains.

In many senses, it was seen as bandit-country then. As a result, Roger embarked on a major castle-building programme with over 70 motte and bailey castles built. They were quick to build, a visible sign of the Normans power and by 1070, the Normans had great expertise in building them. This is why the English/Welsh border has so many surviving mottes near it. No-one is quite sure how many motte and bailey castles were built in England by the Normans. However, by counting the number of mottes that exist in England, archaeologists believe that the Normans built around 500 – one every two weeks between 1066 and 1086. They were used to keep the Saxons tamed. After William’s response to the rebellion in the north of England, many areas were simply too scared to rebel. Motte and bailey castles were a sign that feared Norman soldiers were never too far away. Once the people of England had been tamed, William moved onto grander castles. With the population of England seemingly subdued, William started a programme of building stone castles .

No original complete motte and bailey castles exist in England, but the huge stone fortifications William started certainly are. List of English Heritage properties | Project Gutenberg Self-Publishing - eBooks | Read eBooks online List of English Heritage properties Article Id: WHEBN0000113355 List of English Heritage properties Author: List of English Heritage properties English Heritage is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport . English Heritage's best known role is as the steward of more than 400 significant historical and archaeological sites, from Stonehenge to the world's earliest iron bridge . It has direct ownership over some historic sites and also liaises with private owners of sites that are managed under guardianship arrangements. It has major responsibilities in conservation, giving advice, registering and protecting the historic environment. The following is a list of English Heritage properties containing links for any stately home , historic house , castle , abbey , museum or other property in the care of English Heritage. Contents Bedfordshire · Berkshire · Bristol and Bath · Buckinghamshire · Cambridgeshire · Cheshire · Cornwall · Cumbria · Derbyshire · Devon · Dorset · Co.

Durham · East Riding of Yorkshire · East Sussex · Essex · Gloucestershire · Hampshire · Herefordshire · Hertfordshire · Isle of Wight · Isles of Scilly · Kent · Lancashire · Leicestershire · Lincolnshire · London · Norfolk · Northamptonshire · Northumberland · North Yorkshire · Nottinghamshire · Oxfordshire · Rutland · Shropshire · Somerset · South Yorkshire · Staffordshire · Suffolk · Surrey · Tyne and Wear · Warwickshire · West Midlands · West Sussex · Wiltshire · Worcestershire See also · References 1185-95 Part complete The Priory Church of Saint Mary, Bushmead, commonly called Bushmead Priory, was a monastic foundation for Augustinian Canons, located at Bushmead in the County of Bedfordshire in England. 1614 Complete The de Grey Mausoleum in Flitton, Bedfordshire, England, is one of the largest sepulchral chapels in the country. 1615 Ruins Houghton House is a ruined house located near Houghton Conquest in Bedfordshire, on the ridge just north of Ampthill, and about 8 miles south of Bedford.

The house was built for the writer, translator, and literary patron Mary Sidney Herbert, Dowager Countess of Pembroke. 1834-39 Complete Wrest Park is a country estate located near Silsoe, Bedfordshire, England. It comprises Wrest Park, a Grade I listed country house, and Wrest Park Gardens, also Grade I listed, formal gardens surrounding the mansion. Berkshire 1386 Ruins Donnington Castle is a ruined medieval castle, situated in the small village of Donnington, just north of the town of Newbury. It was destroyed in the English Civil War in 1646 Bristol 1390 Ruins A ruined church building in central Bristol, which was founded in the mid 12th century by Robert of Gloucester and the Knights Templar. It served as the site for the famous exorcism of George Lukins conducted by Methodist and Anglican clergymen. It was bombed in the Second World War and largely destroyed. Cambridgeshire 1159 Parts survive A former abbey near Waterbeach, north of Cambridge. A group of Benedictine monks, governed from Ely, moved here in the 1150s.

They built a church, Denny Priory, which opened in 1159. The crossing and transepts are the only parts of the original Priory that remain today. In 1169 the monks returned to Ely and the site was handed to the Knights Templar. 1337 Complete A chapel that was once part of the Hospital of St. John at Duxford, in Cambridgeshire, England, the hospital since demolished. Built using flint rubble for the walls and limestone for the doorways and windows. 1090 Complete A Norman church, Located in Isleham, and part of the former St Margaret's Benedictine Alien Priory. Later converted into a barn, but it remains in an unaltered state. 1310 Only tower remains A fourteenth century, three-storey tower, originally part of a fortified manor house. Situated in the village of Longthorpe, now a residential area of Peterborough. Cheshire 1220 Ruins A former Royal castle in Beeston, perched above the Cheshire Plain. Built by Ranulf de Blondeville, 6th Earl of Chester, on his return from the Crusades.

In 1237, Henry III took over the ownership of Beeston, and it was kept in good repair until the 16th century. The castle was slighted in 1646. During the 18th century the site was used as a quarry. Chester Castle : Agricola Tower and Castle Walls 1070 Partly complete The castle overlooks the River Dee. In the castle complex are the remaining parts of the medieval castle together with the neoclassical buildings designed by Thomas Harrison which were built between 1788 and 1813. Parts of the neoclassical buildings are used today as Crown Courts and as a military museum. 1st Century Ruins Ruins of a large Roman stone amphitheatre. Today, only the northern half of the structure is exposed; the southern half is covered by buildings. The amphitheatre is the largest so far uncovered in Britain, and dates from the 1st century, when the Roman fort of Deva Victrix was founded. Rediscovered in 1929. 9th Century Complete Two Anglo-Saxon stone crosses now erected in the market place in the town of Sandbach.

They are unusually large and elaborate examples of the type. They depict religious scenes, doll-like heads and beasts in panels, together with vine-scrolls, course interlace patterns and some dragons. Cornwall Neolithic Remains A prehistoric funerary cairn (chambered tomb) situated on the cliff top at Ballowall Common, near St Just. It was first excavated in 1878 by William Copeland Borlase when it was discovered under mining debris. The site today is a confused mix of original and reconstructions introduced by Borlase. Iron Age Remains A Romano-British village near Sancreed, on the Penwith peninsula, with considerable evidence of Iron Age settlement as well. Carn Euny is best known for the well-preserved state of the large fogou, an underground passageway, which is more than 20m long. Iron Age Remains A Romano-British village of courtyard houses, believed to have been constructed and occupied between 100 BC and 400 AD; it was primarily agricultural and unfortified and probably occupied by members of the Dumnonii tribe.

The village included eight stone dwellings, arranged in pairs along a street, each with its own garden plot. 1510 Complete A wellhouse constructed over a local spring. Built of Cornish granite ashlar, it was probably built by the Augustinian canons of the nearby priory of St Germans, to whom the site belonged. Iron Age Remains Located on the Trelowarren estate near Helston, it consists of a long narrow tunnel leading to three sectioned chambers, and a window-like entrance which was dug in Victorian times by supposed treasure hunters. It is the largest and best-preserved of several mysterious underground tunnels associated with Cornish Iron Age settlements. Neolithic Remains A group of three stone circles. The site is half-a-mile west of the village of Minions on the eastern flank of Bodmin Moor. The circles have diameters of 35m, 42m and 33m. The two outer stone circles are circular, the middle and largest stone circle, however, is slightly elliptical. 9th Century Remains Consists of two pieces of a decorated 9th century cross. The inscription is believed to commemorate Dungarth, King of Cornwall who died around 875.

The site also includes an underground passage and chamber. 11th Century Ruins A Norman motte and bailey castle raised by Robert, Count of Mortain, half-brother of William the Conqueror. It became the administrative headquarters for the powerful Earls of Cornwall. The castle remained with little development, apart from an inner keep added in the 12th century. During the 13th century, Richard, Earl of Cornwall, a younger brother of Henry III began to rebuild the castle in stone. 1539 Partly complete One of Henry VIII's Device Forts . Built to guard the entrance to the River Fal on its west bank, near Falmouth. St Mawes Castle is its opposite number on the east bank and they were built to defend Carrick Roads from the French and Spanish threats of future attack. The castle comprises a simple round tower and gate enclosed by a lower curtain wall. 12th Century Ruins The site of a former medieval manor house surrounded by a protective moat, abandoned during the mid-14th century. Penhallam is one of only four such moated medieval manor sites in Cornwall and it consists of a quadrangle of buildings around a central courtyard.

12th Century Ruins Situated on the River Fowey near Lostwithiel, it is one of the four chief Norman castles of Cornwall. The castle is notable for its perfectly circular design. Although once a luxurious residence to the Earl of Cornwall, the castle became ruined in the years after. 1530's Remains A small fort commissioned by Henry VIII to protect Fowey Harbour. A twin battery of 64-pounder guns was added on a lower terrace in 1855. One emplacement was modified in the Second World War to mount a 4.7" naval gun, but was later removed to restore the Victorian gun races. 1540's Remains St Mawes Castle and its larger sister castle, Pendennis, were built as part of a defensive chain of fortresses by Henry VIII to protect the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. 13th Century Ruins A medieval fortification located on the peninsula of Tintagel Island. It saw settlement during the Early Medieval period, when it was probably one of the seasonal residences of the regional king of Dumnonia.

In the 13th century, during the Later Medieval period, after Cornwall had been subsumed into the kingdom of England, a castle was built on the site by Richard, Earl of Cornwall. Neolithic Remains A Neolithic or early Bronze Age chambered tomb, comprising an entrance passage, lined with stone slabs, leading to a central chamber, located near Lamorna in west Cornwall. Neolithic Remains A well-preserved megalithic tomb located near St Cleer. It is known locally as "the giant's house" and stands 2.7m high, and consists of five standing stones capped by a large slab. Cumbria 1760 Complete A gothic-style shelter for deer created for Richard Trevor, Bishop of Durham, in 1760. In the grounds of Auckland Castle, the official office of the Bishop of Durham. 1095 Ruins A ruined medieval castle originally built on the site of an earlier defended position from around 1095 to 1125 by Guy de Balliol. In the 15th century the castle passed by marriage to the Neville family who improved the castle and the estate over the next two centuries.

It was sold in 1626 to Henry Vane who dismantled much of the castle. 12th Century Ruins Built in the corner of an old Roman fort guarding the Stainforth Pass through the Pennines by Alan, Count of Brittany, in the north-west corner of the site. 1720 Complete Located near Rowlands Gill, near Newcastle. It is an example of an early cementation furnace which produced high grade steel. 12th Century Ruins An abandoned Abbey on the eastern bank of the River Tees. Founded by the Premonstratensians, also known as the White Canons. They chose the site for the abbey was chosen because of its isolation, close proximity to a river and the supply of local stone for its construction. 1196 Ruins A Benedictine priory, sited by the River Wear. Includes the remains of an early 12th-century stone chapel of St John the Baptist. The monastic complex was built in the latter half of the 13th century with alterations and additions continuing for the following three centuries.

East Riding of Yorkshire 11th Century Partially ruined Battle Abbey is a partially ruined abbey complex in the small town of Battle in East Sussex, England. The abbey was built on the scene of the Battle of Hastings Battlefield 11th Century Senlac Hill was the site of a battle in 1066 between the Norman-French and the English armies during the Norman conquest of England. 16th Century Ruins 3rd Century Ruins Pevensey Castle is a Roman fort (Anderitum) at Pevensey which was later remodelled into a medieval castle in the 11th Century. Essex 17th century Partly complete An early 17th-century country house just outside Saffron Walden. It was once a palace in all but name and renowned as one of the finest Jacobean houses in England. It is now only one-third of its original size, but is still large. It remains the family seat of the Lords Braybrooke. 13th century Ruined The ruins of a royal castle begun in about 1215, but extensively refortified by Edward III during the 14th century.

The barbican and two drum towers – one later used by Georgian revenue men looking out for smugglers – are part of his building works during the 1360s. Iron Age Remains The banks and ditches of a series of late Iron Age defences protecting the western side of Camulodunum – pre-Roman Colchester. 1776 Mostly complete Two porticoed Classical towers, which stood at each end of a grandiose but highly unconventional Georgian church, designed by Robert Adam in 1776. 15th century Complete One of the finest surviving medieval barns in eastern England, with an aisled interior and crown post roof, the product of some 400 oaks. c. 1100 Ruins The remains of one of the first Augustinian priories in England, founded about 1100. Built in flint and reused Roman brick, the church displays massive circular pillars and round arches and an elaborate west front. It was later damaged during the Civil War siege of 1648. c. 1400 Mostly complete A pinnacled gatehouse, and all that remains of the Benedictine abbey of St John.

Later part of the mansion of the Royalist Lucas family, the gatehouse was bombarded and stormed by Parliamentarian soldiers during the Civil War siege. 1539 Mostly complete A fort built on the north bank of the River Thames to defend London from attack from the sea. Henry VIII built the first fort here, and Queen Elizabeth I rallied her army nearby to face the threat of the Armada. Work started on the current fort in 1670 but was still continuing in the 1680s. The 19th century saw extensive re-design and re-modelling. 14th century Ruins A 14th-century gatehouse belonging to the Augustinian abbey which was dissolved in 1540. Nearby is the 14th century Harold’s Bridge across the Cornmill Stream. Gloucestershire Neolithic Mostly complete A neolithic chambered long barrow, situated on Cleeve Hill, near Cheltenham. It is of a type known as the Cotswold Severn Cairn, all of which have a similar trapezoid shape, and are found scattered along the River Severn.

1239 Mostly complete One of the most complete surviving Dominican friaries in England, later converted into a Tudor house and cloth factory. 2nd century Remains Earthwork remains of one of the largest Roman amphitheatres in Britain, built in the early 2nd century. It served the Roman city of Corinium Dobunnorum (now Cirencester), then second only in size and importance to London. 3rd century Remains The remains of a large and luxurious villa located on a hillside at Great Witcombe, near Gloucester, with a bathhouse complex and possibly the shrine of a water spirit. 1246 Ruins A Cistercian abbey founded by the Earl of Cornwall in thanks for surviving a shipwreck. It held a renowned relic, "the Holy Blood of Hailes" – allegedly a phial of Christ’s own blood. After the dissolution in 1539 just a few of the cloister arches remained, together with the foundations of the church. Neolithic Parts remain A Neolithic chambered tomb of the Cotswold Severn type situated on the crest of a ridge. The barrow was sealed in 1976 to prevent damage to the site.

Neolithic Remains A chambered long barrow of the Cotswold Severn group overlooking the valley of the River Severn. Its internal burial chambers are uncovered for viewing. 1056 Mostly complete One of the most complete surviving Saxon churches in England, built by Earl Odda, and rediscovered in 1865 subsumed into a farmhouse. 8th century Remains A three-mile section of the great earthwork boundary dyke built along the Anglo-Welsh border by Offa, King of Mercia. This wooded stretch includes the Devil's Pulpit rock, with fine views of Tintern Abbey. 1825-30 Complete A single-arch stone bridge spanning the River Severn near Gloucester. It links Over to Alney Island. It was built by the great engineer Thomas Telford. 12th century Parts survive A royal administrative centre for the Forest of Dean. The castle was a favourite hunting lodge of King John. The Keep and the East tower collapsed in the 18th century, by which time the Great Hall had also been demolished. The twin-towered gatehouse of this castle, built by Edward I, survives. Once a prison, it is now a youth hostel.

12th century Mostly complete Norman church, displaying one of the most complete and well preserved sets of medieval wallpaintings in England, dating from the 12th and 14th centuries. Neolithic Mostly complete Also known as Hetty Pegler's Tump. A partly reconstructed Neolithic chambered mound, 37 metres long, overlooking the Severn Valley. It contains a stone built central passage with two chambers on either side and another at the end. Neolithic Partly complete Also known as Rodmarton Long Barrow, this is a Neolithic chambered tomb with at least three stone-lined chambers. At the eastern end of the mound there is a forecourt flanked by two projections and a so-called false entrance consisting of two standing stones and a stone lintel, blocked by a slab. Hampshire 1135 Ruins Built by the Bishop of Winchester, Henry of Blois, Bishop's Waltham Palace was later used by the Bishops of Winchester as they travelled, along with Farnham Castle and Wolvesey Castle. The palace was destroyed in 1644 after the English Civil War.

1540 Mostly complete One of Henry VIII's device forts, built on Calshot Spit to guard the entrance to Southampton Water. It was built as a circular blockhouse with a three storey central keep using stone from Beaulieu Abbey. The outer walls were lowered in 1774 and the gatehouse was rebuilt in order to provide more living space. The castle was in use until 1956. Bronze Age Mostly complete Three Bronze Age burial mounds in a much larger cemetery, including a well-preserved disc barrow which has been described as "the finest in Hampshire". 1858–1863 Complete A fort designed by William Crossman in the 19th century to protect Portsmouth. Its main purpose was to guard the approach from potential landing areas on the south Hampshire coast. The site is only occasionally open to the public. 1748 Complete A fort built by the Duke of Cumberland, replacing an earlier earthwork battery. The fort was of earthwork construction with a number of brick buildings. It was completely rebuilt in masonry from 1785–1812, and then refortified in the late 19th century.

It remained in military ownership for much of the twentieth century. 1541–1544 Mostly complete One of Henry VIII's Device Forts, built at the end of a long shingle beach at the west end of the Solent to guard the approaches to Southampton. It was modified throughout the 19th century, and two large wing batteries were built to house heavy guns. It was fortified again in the Second World War and then decommissioned. 1687 and 1760 Partly complete Two ornate gateways which were originally access points to Portsmouth. King James's Gate was built in 1687, but has been moved twice, and is now part of the boundary of the United Services Ground. Landport Gate was built in 1760 as a main entry point to Portsmouth from the Dockyard. The gate is still in its original position. 1290 Partly complete A restored building built in about 1290 by John Fortin, a prosperous merchant. The house survived many centuries of domestic and commercial use largely intact.

German bomb damage in 1940 revealed the medieval interior of the house, and in the 1980s it was restored to resemble its initial appearance. 1239 Ruins An abbey founded as a house for Cistercian monks. It was closed by Henry VIII in 1536 and the building was converted into a mansion by William Paulet. The abbey was used as a country house until the beginning of the 18th century, after which it was abandoned and partially demolished. Subsequently the ruins became a tourist attraction, and provided inspiration to poets and artists of the Romantic movement. 3rd century and 11th century Partly complete A Roman fort built during the 3rd century to protect the southern coastline of Britain. A castle was built within its walls in the late 11th century. The monarchy controlled the castle for several centuries and it was a favoured hunting lodge of King John. Later in its history the castle was used as a prison. 1212 Parts survive An almshouse and hospice, known as the Domus Dei, established by Pierre des Roches, Bishop of Winchester. It was seized by King Henry VIII in 1540.

Towards the end of the 17th century it fell into disrepair until it was restored in 1767 to become the Garrison church. The buildings of Domus Dei were partially destroyed in an attack by German bombers in 1941. 1st century Remains A Roman town known as Calleva Atrebatum. It was the civitas capital of the Atrebates tribe. It was abandoned shortly after the end of the Roman era. The earthworks and the ruined city walls are still visible. The area inside the walls is now largely farmland. The remains of the Roman amphitheatre and situated outside the city walls, can be clearly seen. 1804 Complete A 19th-century country house and landscape park. It was commissioned in 1804 by Henry Drummond who wanted his brick house transformed into a neoclassical ancient Greek temple. 1222 Parts survive An abbey founded for Premonstratensian canons. It was closed in 1537 by Henry VIII and the building was converted into a mansion by Thomas Wriothesley, a powerful courtier.

In 1781 the abbey was abandoned and partially demolished to create a romantic ruin. 1130 Ruins A castle erected by the Bishop of Winchester, Henry of Blois. It was the scene for the Rout of Winchester in which the Empress Matilda assaulted the Bishop Henry in 1141. The castle was destroyed by Roundheads during the English Civil War in 1646. Herefordshire Neolithic Remains A Neolithic chambered tomb situated on the ridge line of a hill overlooking both the Golden Valley and the Wye Valley. Today only the large stones of the inner chamber remain. 11th century Ruins The ruins of an 11th-century and later church built within the earthworks of a Norman motte and bailey castle. 11th century Ruins A now ruined Norman medieval castle to the north of the village of Goodrich. In the middle of the 12th century the original earth and wood castle was replaced with a stone keep, and was then expanded significantly during the late 13th century into a concentric structure combining living quarters with defences. c. 1200 Ruins A thick-walled round keep built c.

1200, characteristic of the Welsh Borders, on a large earthen mound within a stonewalled bailey. 14th century Complete The family chapel of the Roman Catholic Bodenham family rebuilt in the 1580s. The tower was rebuilt in the 18th century. The chapel contains Victorian interior decoration by the Pugins. 11th century Ruins Founded in 1067 by William Fitz Osbern, Wigmore Castle was a stronghold of the Mortimer family from about 1075 to 1425. It was later dismantled to prevent its use during the English Civil War. Hertfordshire 1539 Complete A 16th-century coastal artillery fort, located in Deal, between Walmer Castle and the now lost Sandown Castle. 12th century Complete A medieval castle in the town of the same name in the English county of Kent. It was founded in the 12th century and has been described as the "Key to England" due to its defensive significance throughout history. It is the largest castle in England. 1805 Restored A Martello Tower in Dymchurch. It stands immediately behind the sea wall.

Part of a coastal defence programme 1088 Ruins A stone Norman castle in the English county of Kent, within the civil parish bounds of the village of Eynsford. It was historically the manor owning most of the land of the village. AD500 Ruins A ruined Church of Our Lady of Elwarton, located near Faversham. Its origins date back to the Roman era when it was used for pagan purposes. Neolithic Ruins Kit's Coty is the name of the remains of a Neolithic chambered long barrow on Blue Bell Hill near Aylesford. 11th Century Ruins The ruins of a mediaeval church of the Knights Templar, on Bredenstone hill, part of the Dover Western Heights. Ruins The name of the remains of a Neolithic chambered long barrow on Blue Bell Hill near Aylesford. 1st Century Ruins A villa built during the Roman occupation of Britain, situated near the village of Eynsford. The ruins contain a Roman temple-mausoleum, one of the earliest known chapels in the country.

1234 Complete The building is a hospital, monastery, hostel, retirement home and Royal lodge commissioned by Henry III in 1234. The building is located beside what is now the A2 road in Faversham. 1322 Complete A former Chantry in Gravesend. Now used as the Chantry Heritage Centre displaying a range of exhibits relating to Gravesend, Northfleet and the nearby villages. It is situated within the Napoleonic built Fort Gardens. 3rd century and 12th Century Ruins A Roman fort built during the 3rd century to protect the coastline of Britain. A medieval church was built within the fort, and had two towers added in the late 12th century. They survived the demolition of the church in 1809, to provide a landmark for shipping. 3rd Century Ruins The ruined remains of a Roman Saxon Shore Fort. It was a major port of Roman Britain. It situated in Richborough near Sandwich. 1087-1089 Ruins A 12th-century keep or stone tower, is the castle's most prominent feature, which is one of the best preserved in England or France.

Located along the River Medway and Watling Street, in Medway. 5th Century Ruins A Benedictine monastery in Canterbury. The abbey was founded in 598 and functioned as a monastery until its dissolution in 1538 during the English Reformation. After the abbey's dissolution, it underwent dismantlement until 1848. Since 1848, part of the site has been used for educational purposes and the abbey ruins have been preserved for their historical value. 12th century Ruins The remains of a medieval conduit house in King’s Park, Canterbury. Built to supply water to nearby St Augustine's Abbey. 1884 Complete A stone memorial in Pegwell Bay, Thanet. The cross was erected in 1884 to commemorate the arrival of St Augustine in England in AD 597 13th Century Mostly complete Also known as St John's Commandery, Swingfield was a priory built for the Knights Templar about 5 miles north of Folkestone,Kent. 1080 Ruins A Norman keep in West Malling. The tower was built by Bishop Gundulf around 1080.

Situated beside Manor Park Country Park, along St.Leonard's Road. 1150 Ruins A castle was built in about 1150, probably by Baldwin de Bethune. It was probably built to control the road from Maidstone to the channel ports of Hastings, Rye and Winchelsea. The castle was abandoned about 1300. Early C13 Complete A building in Strood, Kent. The Manor has been owned by various religious (including Knights Templar), national and farming owners over 600 years. 1559 Mostly complete Upnor Castle is an Elizabethan artillery fort located in the village of Upnor, Medway, South East England. Its purpose was to defend ships moored "in ordinary" on the River Medway outside Chatham Dockyard. 1539–1540 Complete A castle at Walmer in Kent, built by Henry VIII in 1539–1540 as an artillery fortress to counter the threat of invasion from Catholic France and Spain. It was part of his programme to create a chain of coastal defences along England's coast known as the Device Forts or as Henrician Castles.

1779 Mostly complete A series of forts, strong points and ditches, designed to protect the country from invasion. They were created to augment the existing defences and protect the key port of Dover from both seaward and landward attack. Lancashire 1st century Remains Remains of a Roman town, once capital of the Brigantes tribe. Ruins laid out amid a Victorian arboretum with an onsite museum. 13th century Mostly complete The keep of York Castle, and the most prominent surviving part of the original medieval fortification. It was built on the orders of William I and rebuilt by Henry III. It has also served as a prison and a royal mint. 1152 Ruins Premonstratensian abbey. Notable for its lavish roof-height refectory built around 1300. Within the precinct is the still-active parish church, displaying 13th century wall paintings. 1132 Ruins One of the largest and best preserved ruined Cistercian monasteries in England. Owned by the National Trust and maintained by English Heritage. 14th century Ruins An Augustinian priory founded in 1119 by an ancestor of Robert the Bruce.

It is dominated by the skeleton of the 14th century church's east end. 13th century Ruins A castle founded around 1120, and rebuilt around 1300. It later became a Tudor mansion, a Civil War stronghold, and then a romantic Victorian ruin. 1120s Ruins An Augustinian priory was founded in the 1120s by Walter l'Espec, lord of nearby Helmsley, who also built Rievaulx Abbey. 15th century Ruins A gatehouse of a vanished riverside manor house. The monuments of the manor's family owners are in the adjacent church. 13th century Ruins A motte-and-bailey fortification used as a royal hunting lodge, holiday home and a stud farm by a succession of medieval kings. 2nd century Remains Stonework foundations, now marooned in a field, of a bridge which once led to Piercebridge Roman Fort. 11th century Ruins A castle originally built to subdue the unruly North of England, it is one of the greatest Norman fortresses in Britain.

1132 Ruins A Cistercian abbey, and once one of the wealthiest abbeys in England. It is one of the most complete and atmospheric of England's abbey ruins. 1870s Complete 12th century Ruins A medieval Royal fortress. The site of the castle, encompasses an Iron Age settlement, Roman signal station, an Anglo-Scandinavian settlement and chapel, a 12th century enclosure castle and an 18th century battery. 14th century Ruins The ruined hall and chamber of a fortified manor house, dating mainly from the 14th and 15th centuries. Its undercroft is cut into a rocky outcrop. Iron-age Remains An excavated section, part cut into rock, of the ramparts of the huge Iron Age trading and power-centre of the Brigantes tribe. Medieval Remains A deserted medieval village. Above the substantial ruins of the church and a recreated fishpond, the outlines of many lost houses are traceable on a grassy plateau. Unknown Remains A mile-long stretch of enigmatic ancient road, also known as "Wheeldale Roman Road". Once thought to be Roman but possibly much earlier or later.

11th century Ruins A ruined Benedictine abbey overlooking the North Sea on the cliffs above Whitby. The first monastery was founded in 657 AD. 1961 Complete A nerve-centre to monitor fallout in the event of a nuclear attack. It was in active service until the 1990s. Northamptonshire 1198 Parts survive Located near the village of Washford, Cleeve Abbey was founded as a house for monks of the Cistercian order. It was closed in 1536 and the abbey was converted into a country house. 14th century Ruined Started in the 14th century, this fortified mansion was occupied for 300 years by the Hungerford family. Much of it was broken up for salvage in the 18th century. The castle chapel was repaired in 1779 and became a museum of curiosities, complete with the murals rediscovered on its walls in 1844. 15th century Complete A late 15th-century town house, once mistakenly identified as a courtroom of Glastonbury Abbey.

It now houses both the Tourist Information Centre and the Glastonbury Lake Village Museum. 14th century Complete The only surviving monastic fishery building in England, this housed the Abbot of Glastonbury's water bailiff and provided facilities for fish-salting and drying. 12th century Ruined Once a wealthy Benedictine house and the second oldest religious foundation in Somerset, but as part of the dissolution the abbey’s principal buildings were demolished by Henry VIII in 1538. The foundations of the abbey are laid out with parts of the cloister walk and thatched monks’ lavatory. The 16th century abbots’ house remains intact. 14th century Ruined A moated castle built in the 1370s. Extensively modernised in the late 16th century, the castle was held for the King during the Civil War, but quickly fell to Parliamentarian cannon in 1645: not until Christmas Day 1910, however, did the gun-damaged portion of the wall finally collapse.

1720 Complete Erected on Lansdowne Hill, Bath, to commemorate the heroism of Sir Bevil Grenville and his Cornish pikemen at the Battle of Lansdowne in 1643, Neolithic Parts survive The three circles and a stone cove near the village of Stanton Drew, are the third largest collection of prehistoric standing stones in England. The Great Circle probably consisted of 30 stones, of which 27 survive today, and was surrounded by the ditch (now filled in) of a henge. It lies between two smaller circles, whilst to the west is a cove of three stones standing in the garden of a public house. Neolithic Mostly complete A Neolithic chambered tomb with multiple burial chambers, located near the village of Wellow, Somerset. It is an example of the Severn-Cotswold tomb. The barrow is about 30m in length and stands nearly 3m high. Internally it contains a gallery with three pairs of side chambers and an end chamber.

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Question: William the Conqueror built a castle in York in 1068. Rebuilt in the 13th century, by what name is the ruined keep now known?
Answer: CLIFFORD'S TOWER